Jack of All Trades, Party of None

After Orun and the others annihilated the dragon horde, Shion reunited with her attendant, Telshe, who had been acting separately, and they headed east together.

Her steps were so light it seemed she might skip at any moment, a mood so cheerful it was unthinkable for the usual Shion.

"Lady Shion, did something good happen?"

"Eh~? You can tell?"

"Of course. I've watched over you closely since you were a child. I suppose it has something to do with Lord Orun?"

"As expected. Actually, I just fought alongside Orun. And he called me by my name, 'Shion.'"

Shion responded to Telshe’s question with a bright smile, revealing the reason for her good mood.

"Is that so? That’s wonderful."

Hearing the reason, Telshe looked as happy as if it were her own joy.

But Shion’s cheerful mood was short-lived, gradually giving way to a more composed demeanor.

"Yeah. I never thought I’d be able to stand beside Orun again, so fighting shoulder to shoulder with him made me truly happy. I wish we could have stayed together longer, but since the situation has changed drastically, I have to be content with just having fought alongside him this once. Asking for more would be selfish, wouldn't it..."

Shion muttered with a tone bordering on resignation.

"...Lady Shion, shouldn’t you tell Lord Orun the truth—"

"That’s not allowed."

Before Telshe finished her suggestion, seeing her mistress’s sorrowful expression, Shion cut her off.

"...I spoke out of turn. I’m sorry."

"No, I understand you’re thinking of me. Thank you, Telshe. But Orun tends to shoulder burdens alone. If he learns everyone in the village was killed, I’m sure he’ll blame himself. Besides, I don’t think the cult will overlook such a weakness."

As Shion pondered the future, she carefully shared her thoughts with Telshe.

"Also, even if he’s under cognitive alteration, if he can break the seal on his uncle by himself, there’s a high chance he’ll realize his original supernatural ability. So, before the 'King' awakens, we need to prepare the stage."

"Understood."

Seeing Telshe’s understanding, Shion nodded with satisfaction.

◇

Just as they were about to move on, Shion’s gaze sharpened.

She then displayed a geometric pattern, unlike a magic circle, in her right eye, and, staring into the empty void, she spoke.

"What do you want from me, fairy? Such incredible mana... Ah, I see now. You must be the Fairy Queen, Titania."

"...I’m surprised. I thought it was impossible since you seemed to be intentionally manipulating the ice spirit, but you really fused your right eye with the Spirit's Eye."

Titania responded with genuine astonishment to Shion’s voice.

Fairies are supernatural beings invisible to humans.

Only humans with the supernatural ability of Spirit Domination can perceive fairies, and Shion does not possess that ability.

"Correct. Hehe, I’m probably the only living human who can surprise the Fairy Queen."

Shion said with a confident smile, focusing intently on where Titania was.

This was proof that she could indeed see the fairy.

Just as magic stones appear when a demonic beast dies, sometimes a translucent crystal appears when a fairy dies.

This is called the Spirit's Eye—a special kind of magic stone.

The reason for the name is that by looking through this crystal, one can see spirits and fairies.

Shion had fused the mana contained within the Spirit’s Eye with her right eye.

There was a chance nothing would happen or she might become a wreck, but Shion won that gamble.

As a result of fusing her right eye with the Spirit’s Eye, she could not only see spirits and fairies but also communicate with fairies by absorbing their mana, and she gained the ability to freely control spirits—though limited to ice.

"Why would you do something so dangerous—"

"To catch up to Orun."

The playful tone Shion had earlier shifted to serious as she interrupted Titania’s whisper.

"If that’s the goal, the pain or anything doesn’t matter. To keep Orun from being alone, I have to catch up to him."

Her words oozed immense determination.